EU Flag
GPSR

GPSR and what it means for UK record labels shipping to the EU.

The EU introduction of GPSR, a risk assesment for all goods going into the EU, will impact record labels and individuals pressing their records in the UK and distributing them in the EU. It's still not completely clear how this might affect record labels but we have done our best to interpret the new rules and make sure you're prepared.

A new rule for sales in the EU became legally binding on 13/12/2024. It is called the General Product Safety Regulation, or GPSR. This rule regulates the documentation of safety obligations for all consumer products sold in the EU. The most important obligations are that each product sold in the EU must have contact information (such as a postal, e-mail or web address) indicating the manufacturer of the product aswell as a risk assessment for possible hazards to human health (physical and chemical) and the environment (physical and chemical).

As per point number 34 of the GPSR, the manufacturer is considered the party bringing the product to the EU market at first instance so in this case it’s either the label or their distributors in the EU. To assist you, our customers, we have put together some basic notes to explain these new regulations, outlining what you need to do to be GPSR compliant.

How to be GPSR Compliant

  1. The manufacturer in the scope of these regulations is the label or distributor. Contact details of the record label releasing the product should be on the outer packaging. A website url on a sleeve may suffice, provided a means of contact is on the website. Please check with your EU distributors about the need for a physical address on your product.
  2. If the label/distributor is UK based, an EU based ‘responsible operator’, may be required. We advise our clients to use their EU distributor for this purpose.
  3. Risk Assessment templates are available from us for Vinyl and Optical Discs, which a label can put on their headed paper and store accordingly so it is there if needed. EU distributors are doing their own risk assessments as well.
  4. As our standard audio and data products are very simple, being vinyl, CD, cassette, DVD etc, the associated risks are very low. A lot of these regulations are created with more complex products in mind. We advise people not to be too concerned about these regulations and follow the simple steps above to comply.

These regulations apply if you sell product via EU retail or through any D2C or online portal from which an EU resident can purchase the product. Any product already in the marketplace (as of 13/12/24) does not need to comply with GPSR.

Please note that our understanding of these regulations is gradually evolving and subject to change as we learn more about its scope, implementation, and enforcement. We are in constant discussion with other UK and EU based organisations who are also working on the issue, so we will update this page as and when we get new information.